Texas School Districts to Implement...

AUSTIN, Tx. – Following another mass shooting last week that left ten people dead at Oregon’s Umpqua Community College, Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced Monday that he has approved funding for a new ‘Active Shooter Prevention Program’ being implemented in at least two Texas school districts later this month.

“This week I’ve met with school officials from all across our great state of Texas. We’ve focused on a number of concerns and issues such as campus accessibility and security, police and EMS response times, and threat assessment capabilities,” Governor Abbott said. “Based on the information collected, my office has put together what I believe is the best possible strategy to prevent and, if need be, combat a potential mass shooting.”

Using taxpayer funds reallocated from a number of government programs, Governor Abbott authorized the purchase of fifteen Super aEgis II autonomous weapons platforms from DoDAAM Systems Ltd., a South Korean defense company, which the Texas Department of Education will install near the entrances to a number of its public schools in the Dallas and Houston Independent School Districts.

“These turret systems are used as sentries by the South Korean military along their Demilitarized Zone, so they’re highly advanced and effective at maintaining security,” Governor Abbott said. According to DoDAAM Systems’ official website, the Super aEgis II automated turret system uses forward-looking infrared to track, identify, and eliminate armed human-sized targets at a range of 3 kilometers.

Available in both .50 caliber and 40 mm, the Super aEgis II is able to punch through flesh and armor with pinpoint precision and can operate at full capacity even in total darkness and extreme weather. Governor Abbott said that at his request, DoDAAM Systems has modified the weapons platforms being sent to Texas in a way that allows them to “only engage threats that come within five hundred feet of school property.”

Texas senator and Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz hailed Governor Abbott’s plan, calling the new Active Shooter Prevention Program “a step in the right direction.” Cruz, who is scheduled to spend three days on the campaign trail in Iowa next week, praised Abbott, saying the governor possesses a “keen ability to tackle this pressing national issue without infringing on our fundamental right to bear arms.”